Eobeet m



(No Model.)

R. M. WILSON.

` FIRE ESCAPE LADDER. No. 314,899. PatentedMar. 31, 1885-.

Tiff. N Ey. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT M. WILSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.`

SPECIFICATIONjorming part of Letters Patent No. 314,899, dated lvarch31, 1885.

Application filed January 17, 1885. (No model.)

.To all when?. it may concern;

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. WVILsoN, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-EscapeLadders; and I do hereby declare that the following isv a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification. l

My invention relates to that class of fireescapeladders which areconstructed with one bar or side of the ladder permanently attached tothe building, and its outer bar or rail connected'to the first bypivoted rounds, which permit the ladder to be folded up closely againstthe building when not required for use.

The object of my invention is to furnish a ladder which, constructedwith rounds of ordinary gas-piping, may be put together without specialfitting andyet receive uniform and complete support at each round whenopened out, and which will not become fastened in its closed position bythe effects of rust, nor useless because of inoperative catches, butwill remain at all times serviceable, strong, and easy of management.

It consists of improvements in the construction of the hinge by whichthe outer end of each round is connected to the T-bar consti.- tutingthe outer rail of the ladder, in the manner of holding up the ladder bycatches connected with a lifting or tripping bar, and

' ladder when closed; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the open ladder inline 00 :c of Fig. 1;A Fig. 4, a front view of a portion ofthe ladderwith the' outer bar broken away, illustrating the device for locking andopening the ladder; and Fig. 5 a similar detached view illustrating thelever at the lower end of the ladder for opening it from thestreet-level.

A A are the side plates forming the casing,

to which the inner ends of the rounds B B of the ladder are pivoted, andwithin which they are inclosed when the ladder is folded up.

VThese side plates are constructed of angleiron to facilitate theirsecure attachment to the wall of a building. The sides of the ironswhich project from the building are parallel, while those which restagainst the wall are turned in opposite directions, leaving a clear openspace between the projecting sides eX- tending from the face of the wallto their outer edges. The widt-h of this longitudinal open space in thecasing is 4slightly greater than the thickness or diameter' ofthe roundsB B, and the inner end of each round is inserted therein and pivotedupon a transverse pin, O, which is led through the sides of the casingand through the end of the round at the center or above its longitudinalaxis, preferably the latter, to give strength to the round. A trans lverse supporting-pin, D, is inserted through the casing below the roundin front of the pivot-pin and parallel thereto, so that the 7 roundmayrest thereon when extended in a horizontal position at a right angleto the casing, as shown in Fig. l.

A sleeve or collar,D,of a length to fit closely between the sides A` Aof the casing. is fitted upon each supportingpin, and serves as a braceto stiffen the casing` and afford support to its projecting sides. Theouter end oi each round terminates in two parallel knuckles,e' c,

(see Fig. 3,) which bend outwardly from 4the 8 round with a regularcurve, so that their ends shall project at a right angle to its lengthbeyoud the under side thereof. (See Fig. l.) These knuckles c e are madeto embrace between them the central inner flange, F', of aT-iron,F,for1ning the outer rail of the ladder, to which they arepivoted each by a pivot-pin, G, `passing through the knuckles and theiiange. The outer face of the T-iron is of a width equal to that of thecasing A A, so that when closed up against the same it shall fully coverthe edges of its projecting sides, and it is preferably roundedtransversely, as shown in Fig. 3, to make a neat finish for the casingwhen it covers thefsame. The depth of the slot or recess between theknuckles e e of each round is preferably so proportioned with referenceto the Width between the outer edge of the liange F and the pivot-pin Gof the round,

IOO

as that when the round is at a right angle to the ilange vthe edge ofthe iiange shall come into contact with the inner end of the recess andfind support againstthe same, (as is shown in the sectional view givenof the end of the lower round in Fig. l.) The knuckles e e may be formedin one piece with the round, or, by preference, the rounds are made oftubing, and the knuckles are cast upon a separate piece adapted to bedriven into the end of the tube and riveted thereto, as illustrated inthe drawings.

When the outer T-rail of the ladder is folded up against the innercasing, A A, the rounds are Wholly concealed within the casing, as shownin Fig. 2, and the rail and rounds are securely held in this position bymeans of one or more catches or detents, H, carried by a rod or bar, J,fitted to play loosely longitudinally within the casing, between theinner ends of the rounds and the wall of the building to which thecasing is secured. This locking-bar J extends from near the bottom ofthe ladder to its upper end, and is confined by means of one or moretransverse pins, K, passing through corresponding longitudinal slots inthe bar, so that while the bar is thereby held in place within thecasing it is free to have a limited longitudinal movement. By preferencethe slot for each pin K is formed in a block, H, upon which the detent.H is also formed,`in which case the bar J is divided into sections,between which the block or blocks H are interposed as a coupling toconnect them, as shown in the drawings, Figs. l and 2. The detent H,which may be in the form of a hook, is so placed upon the bar J Vas toengage readily a counterpart hook or catch, L, formed in or upon theouter end of one of the rounds or in or upon theknuckles or hinge-blockfitted to said end. The ends of the two catches H and L are brought intocontact when the round is swung and folded up against thc locking-bar,and their opposite edges are so beveled as that the inward movement ofthe round shall cause its catch or hook L to raise the hook H, (and thelocking-bar to which it is attached,) so as to pass its point andinterlock therewith, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

.When the hooks or catches are thus interlocked, the weight of the bar Jand its attachments operates to keep them securely locked, and theladder is thereby held fast in its closed position, so that it may notbe opened without lifting said ba'r. The lifting of the bar isaccomplished by means of a'lever, M, Fig. 4, pivoted to the angle-ironforming one side of the casing, so as to swing parallel with the wall ofthe building. An arm, M', describing a curve having the pivot of thelever as its center, (see Fig. 4,) is secured to the lever aboutone-third its length, to project in Ward through theoutwardly-projecting ange of the casing in front of the locking-bar J,be-

tween two of the rounds, and its end is madeA to hook under a lug,V,upon the bar, or into arecess therein, so that when the lever lVI isswung out from the side of the casing (see arrows in Fig. 4) its armshall operate to lift the bar J. One of these lifting-levers may beplaced at each balcony or near to a window in each story of thebuilding, so as to be easily reached and operated by a person in thebuilding. To permit the ladder to be opened from the street, a lever, P,is pivoted to the lower end of the casing to extend horizontallyparallel with the building. The inner shorter end of the lever passesunder the lower end of the locking-bar, and its outer end projects inposition to be readily forced down with the foot, a movement which willserve to lift the rod J and release the ladder. To prevent the leverfrom being operated mischievously or improperly, a guard consisting ofan arm, R, is secured to the casing to project parallel with the outerarm of the lever, above the same. The outer end of the arm R ispreferably forked to embrace the outer arm of the lever when it is atrest, and the lever is then readily locked therein by means of atransverse pin or the hasp of a padlock, S, led through apertures in thefork below the lever, as shown in Fig. 5. Instead of forming the arm Rwith a'forked end, it may be simply made to extend alongside of thelever, and the latter be locked thereto by a bolt or hasp passingthrough apertures brought into register in the lever l? and arm R.

rlhe upward movement of the rod J when it is lifted is made to force theouter rails and rounds outward, to cause the ladder to openautomatically by means of an inclined surface,V, formed upon the outerside of each catch-block H, to bear against a counterpart opposedinclined surface upon the outer face of the round, theoppositely-inclined surfaces being brought into contact when the catchesL and H interlock, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the ladder is constructed in separate sections, of which thelowermost one may drop independently of those above it, I forni theengaging lip or hook of the catch or detent on the locking-bar of eachsection longer than that of the corresponding catch or detent of thesection below it, so that the lifting of the bar shall release the lowersection before releasing that above it, and by arresting the movement ofthe bar after one or more of the lower sections have been released andthrown open the upper section may remain closed.

I claim as my invention- 1. The slotted hinge connecting the outer endof each round with the central flange of the outer T-rail of the ladder,which consists ofthe curved knuckles projecting upon one side of thelongitudinal axis of the round to embrace the flange, a pivot-pinpassing transversely through the knuckles and flange, and a stop-surfaceformed at the inner end of the slot, between the knuckles, to abutagainst the edge ofthe flange when the round is lifted IOO IIO

at a right angle thereto, substantially in the manner and for thepurpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with avertically-moving bar Within the stationarycase of the lad-A der and with a catch upon the outer endof one of itsrounds, of a catch or detent fixed to or formed integral with the bar,in position to engage the catch upon the round when the latter is closedup into the case.- substantially in the manner and for the 'purposeherein set forth.

3. The combination, with a beveled or inclined faced lug or oset formedupon or secured to the outer face of the vertically-moving bar in thestationary case ofthe ladder, of a counterpart inclined faced lug oroffset upon the outer end of one of the pivoted rounds of 3o face of thebar, and adapted thereby when swung` outward to lift said bar,substantially r in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the verticallymovinglocking-bar fittedWithinthe stationary case of the ladder, of a horizontal pivoted leverwhose shorter arm engages the bar directly and whose longer arm projectslaterally fronthe case, so that pressure exerted upon said outer armshall operate to 'lift the' locking-bar, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose herein set forth.

6. The combination, With the verticallymoving locking-bar Withinthestationary case of the ladder, and with a horizontal pivoted leverWhose inner shorter arm engages the bar to lift the same, of a xed barextending parallel with the outer end of the lever and a transverselocking bolt or hasp led through an aperture in said Xed bar to lock andprevent the movement of the lever, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

. ROBERT M. WILSON.

Witnesses:

A. B. MOORE, ANDREW W. STEIGER.

